Mail-bag catcher.



Nrrnn rares r trice.

GEORGE B, KLINK AND JOHN O. KLINK, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '70 5,323, dated August 5, 1902.

Application led January 31, 1902. Serial No. 92,070. (No model.)

To (t/Z whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, GEORGE B. KLlNK and JOHN C. KLINK, citizens ofthe United States, residing at 4220 North Grove street, Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Vasfh'- ington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in mail-catchers, and relates particularly to devices which are carried by railway mail-cars and are arranged to come in contact with and catch a mail-pouch which is suspended by the road-bed of the railway.

It consists in certain novel combinations, constructions, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of a portion of a mail-car, showing the mail-catcher projecting outwardly through the door. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, but looking at the device from the inside of the car.Y

The mail-pouch catcher which is the subject of the present invention is designed for use on any ordinary railway coach or car and is constructed so' that it may be applied to either side of the doorof such car, and be thus adapted to engage a inail-pouch by the side of the road no mattei' in which direction the car may be traveling.

As shown in the drawings, the catcher comprises a swinging arm or crane 1, which is pivoted to a base piece or block 2. This baseblock 2 is formed of a suitable size and is arranged to slide into and snugly tit within a bracket or casing 3, secured to the side ofthe car-door opening. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, we preferably use such a bracket or casing 3 on each side of the car-door, so that the base-block carrying the crane-arm may be moved from one bracket to the other, according to the direction in which the car is traveling. The bracket 3 comprises a base portion et, formed withwalls 5 and G, extending around three sides thereof. The wall 6,

in operation forming an abutment, is pref-- erably arranged upon the side of the basef plate et which is next to the opening of the car-door, while the walls 5 5 are formed at the upper and lower edges of said base-plate. These upper and lower walls 5 are also provided with inwardly-turned flanges 7, which are adapted to extend over the edges of the base-block 2 a sufficient distance to hold the same in position when it is slid into place within the bracket and over the base-block l1.

The flanges 7 not only guide the block in its movement back and forth in the bracket, but prevent the block from falling out of proper position when it has been placed within the bracket. The wall 6, which is next to the door of the car, limits the movement of the base-block 2 in that direction and holds the said block in proper relation to the cardoor to permit the arm 1 to be swung in and out through the saine.

The arm 1 is provided with a ring 8 at its outer end of sufiicient size to readily receive a mail-pouch or other mail-carrying receptacle. This ring carries a conical-shaped fabric or netting,.as 9, forming a bag or closure upon the ring which receives the mail-pouch upon its passing through the ring 8. The arm l is preferably bent intermediate its length, so as to beangular in shape, the bend approximating a right angle. This makesit possible for the arm to be swung outwardly from the door-opening of the car in such a manner that it will assume a proper position to engage a mail-pouch. -The inner end of the arm 1 is secured to a short shaft 10, which is journaled at its ends in cleats or brackets 11, secured to the inner face of the base-block 2. The inner end of the shaft 10 projects beyond the cleats or brackets 11 and carries a ratchet-wheel 12. The teeth of the ratchetwheel 12 are engaged by a spring arm or clip 13, which is fastened at one end of the block 2, while its other end is arranged to be sprung into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 12. The arm or clip 13 is practically aspringpawl, being preferably made of spring metal, and is formed at its outer free end with an unengaging handle or knob'li, by which the said pawl maybe lifted out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel 12. A spring 15 is also mounted between the cleats 11, being held in position by a rod or bar 16. The spring 15 is preferably a coiled spring and is formed with a loop or arm portion 17, which bears against the arm 1 in such a manner as to normally tend to force the said arm out through the cardoor.

The catcher will normally occupy a position within the car, being held in position by the pawl13, engaging the teeth of the ratchet 12. When a place is approached where mail is to be received, the pawl 13 is lifted by means of the handle or knob 14 out of engagement with the ratchet 12, when the spring 15 will immediately force the arm 1 outwardly through the car-door, assuming a position like that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. As the car travels forward the ring 8 and netting or fabric 9 will come in contact with the mail-pouch suspended by the roadside, and theimpactof the saidpouch against the ring and arm 1 will force the same inwardly through the car-door, and the pawl 13 will prevent the said arm from swinging outwardly again because of its engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 12. The mail-pouch will thus be landed inside the car, and the arm will remain inside until the spring-pawl 13 is again lifted from the ratchet-Wheel 12. When the car travels in an opposite direction, it is only necessary to slide the baseblock 2 out of the bracket 3 whichit has been occupying and insert it in the bracket at the opposite side of the doorway. The arm of the mail-pouch will thus be in position to meet any mail bags or pouches when the car is traveling in this direction. It will be obvious, of course, that said brackets 3 may be placed upon the door upon the opposite side of the car, so that the mail-catcher can be operated on either side of the car as well as upon either side of the car-doors.

We find it preferable to employ a catcherarm which is provided with a netting or fabf ric for engaging the mail-bag, since this greatly diminishes the wear and rough treatment to which the mail-bags are subjected when using the crane-arms which are now commonly employed. It is also a great advantage to mount the arm mechanism upon a simple sliding block like that shown, so thatthe said mechanism can be easily and quickly removed from one side of the door to the other or from one door to another. The

parts of the device are exceedingly simple, inexpensive to manufacture, and not likely to get out of order easily.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mail catcher comprising a base, a bracket or cleat secured to the sides of a cardoor having grooves to receive said base, an

abutm en t-wall formed on said cleat or bracket for limiting the movement of said base, an arm pivotally carried by said base, means for normally forcing the arm outwardly, and means for retaining it in position, substantially as described.

2. A mail-catcher comprisinga base, brackets or cleats secured to the opposite sides of the car-door having grooves to receive the said base, abutment-walls formed on the door sides of said cleats or brackets closing the end of the recess therein for limiting the movement of said base in that direction, a pivoted arm carried by said base, meansrfor normally forcing the arm outwardly through the door, and means for retaining it in said position, substantially as described.

3. A mail-catcher comprising a movable base, an arm pivotally mounted thereon inside a car and bent so as to project therefrom when swung to its outer position, spring means carried by said base for normally forcing the arm outwardly, a ratchet mechanism also on said base for holding the arm at Various positions when it is swung inwardly, the

impact of the mail-bag striking the arm, forcing it automatically inwardly where it is held by the said ratchet mechanism, substantially as described.

4:. A mail-catcher comprising an arm carrying a mail-receiving bag, a spring for holding the arm normally outside a car-door, a ratchet-wheel attached to said arm, a springpawl engaging the same, means for lifting the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet so that the spring may force the arm outwardly the said pawl holding the ratchet- Wheel when the arm is forced inwardly bythe impact of the mail-pouch, and a movable base carrying all of said mechanism so that the catcher may be moved and used with equal facility on either side of a car-door, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

GEGRGE BQKLINK. JOHN C. KLINK. XVitnesses:

FRANK J. MILLER, F. J. MEAD. 

